Air safety regulators in the U.S. and Canada have given Mecaer Aviation Group (MAG) the green light to install Skytrac’s SDL-350 onboard server and satcom system in Leonardo AW139s. Skytrac and Mecaer announced Wednesday that they have completed FAA and Transport Canada supplemental type certification (STC) for the SDL-350 terminal in the intermediate twin-turbine helicopter after installing and testing it on an example owned by one of MAG’s VIP clients.
“As one of the first integrators of the SDL-350, the Mecaer Aviation Group is glad to have been able to assist in completing this STC with Skytrac,” said Daren Humphries, sales manager for corporate aircraft at MAG. “Helping to certify the SDL-350 will enable our client to have the highest bandwidth connectivity available on the market to access all of the capabilities they require inflight.”
The STC will enable Skytrac’s AW139 customers to utilize the Iridium Certus network, which runs on the Iridium Next satellite constellation, for in-flight broadband connectivity. According to Skytrac, the SDL-350 provides global L-band connectivity with speeds of up to 704 kbps downlink and 352 kpbs uplink—more than enough to support video conferencing and bandwidth-intensive data streaming—plus 4G LTE cellular connectivity. MAG is utilizing the SDL-350 for its I-Feel (In-Flight Entertainment Enhanced Lounge) infotainment and connectivity system.
Continued development of the SDL-350 will enable real-time flight data monitoring (FDM) and real-time health and usage monitoring (HUMS) features, which can wirelessly offload flight data after landing and provide instant in-flight notifications of anomalies, according to Skytrac. These added capabilities will allow customers to meet standards set by the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers for offshore helicopter operations.
According to Skytrac, the SDL-350 is compatible with most aircraft types, thanks to its small size, light weight, and low power consumption. The company says it has already secured launch customers in various aviation segments—including air medical, law enforcement, search and rescue, urban air mobility, and business aviation—and it has several additional SDL-350 STCs in the works.
One of its most recent customers is Nova Systems, an engineering firm tasked with upgrading mission systems in European Coast Guard aircraft to enhance search-and-rescue (SAR) capabilities in multiple aircraft, including some AW189s and AW139s. Nova announced Wednesday that it has selected Skytrac’s SDL-350 satcom terminal and MTC-100 touchscreen control unit for the upgrades. “The SDL-350 provides unmatched performance and mission-critical connectivity for rotorcraft operators involved in Coast Guard and SAR operations,” said Jeff Sherwood, Skytrac’s director of business development.
While Skytrac is building out its order book for the SDL-350 broadband satcom system, the company is continuing to make its ISAT-200A narrowband transceiver and Dynamic Air Link 200 (DAL-200) wireless communication and data download solution available for more aircraft types. On Wednesday, Skytrac announced that it has completed the first factory installation of the ISAT-200A and DAL-200 combo solution on an Airbus Helicopters H135 light twin-engine helicopter. It completed the installation last month at an Airbus facility in Columbus, Mississippi.
The ISAT-200A/DAL-200 combo package will be available as an option for new-build H135s, and the company intends to eventually offer the system as a retrofit for current H135 operators. Skytrac has worked with major manufacturers such as Airbus, Bell, Leonardo, and Sikorsky to integrate the ISAT-200A into various platforms.
Skytrac’s flagship ISAT-200A satcom terminal, which uses Iridium’s low-earth-orbit satellite network, supports real-time flight data monitoring and HUMS alerts, as well as medical telemetry streaming for SAR and medevac operations. According to Skytrac, it provides resilient low-latency narrowband connectivity with 2.4 kbps of bidirectional bandwidth.
Pairing the ISAT-200A with the DAL-200 enables the support of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ethernet, and 2G/3G/4G cellular connectivity, as well as POTS/DPL handset dialing for cabin voice connectivity. Combined with the Airbus Helionix avionics suite, the system enables the wireless post-flight offloading of FDM and aircraft data using automated systems and transferring data while in flight.
“It is a milestone for Skytrac to have our ISAT-200A and DAL-200 available to select when our customers are choosing additional components for the H135,” said Skytrac regional business manager Luke Billington. “The completion of the first install and the features that these two avionics systems, along with the interface of the Helionix system, enable will benefit many of the helicopter operators we work with as well as many more to come.”